Can New Airbus Flying Car Beat Traffic Jams?
There aren’t many good solutions to getting out of traffic once you are stuck in it, but a couple of companies might actually have this predicament figured out.
There aren’t many good solutions to getting out of traffic once you are stuck in it, but a couple of companies might actually have this predicament figured out. Italdesign and Airbus have partnered together to create the car of the future, which will be able to avoid the hassle of getting stuck in traffic. It is expected that the two companies will unveil this collaboration on this coming Tuesday at a Geneva auto show.
The overriding idea behind this traffic dodging car is that its upper body can be airlifted by drone and flown above whatever traffic congestion it might be facing.
The two-stage car could cruise the city, with the passenger riding in a capsule on the top of a self-driving chassis. If the vehicle should hit any traffic congestion, a large drone could be flown in to pick up the capsule and transport passengers to their destination. This would have to be a sizable drone, say roughly 5 meters by 5 meters.
Back in 1982, Italdesign developed a car with an upper body and chassis that could separate with the Capsula concept. The Capsula had an Alfa Romeo chassis with a cabin on top. There were different upper cabins, such as a passenger car, a commercial van or a minibus, which could be switched according to what was needed.
The new concept by Italdesign and Airbus would be a ground/air vehicle that has the potential to offer fast, shared individual mobility in crowded megacities.
Keep in mind that the Italdesign project is not related to a flying car project under development by Airbus under the name of Vahana. Airbus plans to test a prototype for a helicopter-style car that would be used for ride-sharing by the end of 2017.
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Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
